


Happy Birthday, Neil.

by reaching_my_summit



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, and an andrew that has feelings, and there are bets to be placed, andrew makes pancakes, brief and non-detailed andrew pov thoughts of past trauma, it's neil's birthday and his friends love him so much!!, neil is a dumbass bitch, non-detailed sexual content for two seconds at the very end, so many kisses. not sorry, the foxes know how to fucking party, they play EXY wow, this is just meant to be cute as hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-14 06:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16035071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reaching_my_summit/pseuds/reaching_my_summit
Summary: It's Neil's 20th birthday. The Foxes throw him a party. Andrew has feelings.





	1. Pregame.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Foxes plan to throw a party for Neil on the night of his 20th birthday, but the fun starts right at midnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newly edited! Thanks to my roommate for beta-ing this for me and for getting me addicted to AFTG in the first place.

“Neil Josten” was supposed to turn 20 on March 31st. Neil Josten actually turned 20 on January 19th. He was hoping that his friends would remember his player statistics and biography instead of the actual date of his birth. 

 

Turns out, a birthday message written in blood was not forgettable, much to his dismay. 

 

Neil’s teammates barged into his room at midnight, practically scream-singing “Happy Birthday” at him through the walls of his suite. Dan and Matt rapped relentlessly on his bedroom door until Neil tumbled off his mattress and crossed the room to rip the door open. 

 

Matt was the first to jump him, yanking Neil up into arms and squeezing him so hard that Neil thought his eyes might pop out of their sockets. “THAT’S THE BIRTHDAY BOY! MY BEST FRIEND IS NO LONGER A TEENAGER! THAT’S MY FUCKING MAN--” 

 

Matt was the only person who could ever get away with that. “Thanks, Matt. Kindly stop suffocating me,” Neil deadpanned, still half-asleep and consequently unable to deal with the Foxes.

 

“Anything for you, Buddy!” Matt grinned, ruffling Neil’s hair and moving aside to allow Dan to have her turn to hug him.

 

Nicky slid across the tile floor of the kitchenette with sock-covered feet and almost slammed into the doorframe. He leaned up against it and tried to recover from that display while taking note of Neil’s appearance. Ruffled hair. Disheveled pajamas. Angry eyes. “Did we just interrupt BIRTHDAY SEX, NEIL JOSTEN?”

 

Andrew appeared from behind Neil and was pointing a knife at his cousin in a millisecond. “Run along, Hemmick.”

 

“You wouldn’t--Not on Neil’s birthday. Neil loves me!” Nicky gave Neil his best pout and puppy-dog eyes combo. “Don’t you, Neil?”

 

Neil was unaffected, as was Andrew, who promptly responded with “Try me, bitch.”

 

“This is homophobic,” Nicky whined, turning around and walking back to the living area. “You can’t have any of the cake I’m making, Andrew, just because you were mean to--” Nicky screeched and dove to the floor as a knife flew past his head and dug itself into the wall. “FUCK ME, FUCKING...WHY?” Nicky screeched, diving behind one of the beanbags to hide.

 

“There are two things you can use against Andrew, Nicky: Neil, and the prospect of sweets. You dug your grave. Andrew is simply making sure you get pushed into it,” Renee hummed, walking over to give Neil a small smile. She handed him a package wrapped in brown paper. “Happy birthday, Neil. I didn’t want to give this to you in front of the other Foxes, namely Nicky.”

 

Neil flipped the package over in his hands and ran his fingers over the paper. “Thanks, Renee. You didn’t have to get me anything--”

 

“You’re welcome, Neil.” Renee stopped him, giving Andrew a wave as she was joined by Allison. Andrew glared at her for calling him out, a silent promise that the next time they sparred, he would not hold back. Renee tipped her head in understanding.

 

Allison leaned on Renee’s shoulder with a mischievous grin. “We’re celebrating in the basement study rooms after night practice is over. I know parties aren’t really your thing, Neil, but you’re a slut for friendship, and we’ve got plenty of that to go around. Well, some of us.” She gave Andrew a look and Andrew didn’t acknowledge her. “Think you’ll show, or will we have to black out without you?” 

 

Every time Neil was reminded that people actually cared for him and were willing to go out of their ways for him, he couldn’t help but be a little taken aback. The Foxes had been his literal lifeline and he still had a hard time believing that they cared enough to remember things like his takeout order, favorite color, and the date of his actual birth (or the date of a mentally scarring and intensely bloody incident, whatever). “I’ll be there.”

 

“Good. We’ll leave you and Andrew to it,” Allison winked.   _ Why was everyone like this?  _ After the upperclassmen had given Neil their best, they retired to their rooms for the night. Aaron must have stayed in bed in the first place, not that Neil minded, and Nicky apparently had come out of his shock long enough to force a drunken Kevin to play Halo 3 with him. Neil sighed and went back to his bedroom, wandering over to the floor lamp to unwrap the gift Renee had given him. He slid his fingers over the brown paper of the package and under the bits of tape, letting the wrapping drop to the floor to reveal a picture frame. When he flipped it over, he was greeted with a copy of a picture that was taped to the wall in the Foxes’ locker room. It was taken the moment Neil gave Andrew his birth name.

 

Andrew slid off his desk to take a look at Neil’s gift and rested his chin on Neil’s shoulder. “Renee has a flair for the sentimental,” he mumbled, taking the picture in hand and carrying it over to Neil’s desk to stand it up in the corner on top of their shared printer. He gently pressed a fingertip to the picture right over Neil’s then unscarred face. Neil rolled his eyes. “Like you don’t?”

 

Andrew gently threatened Neil with the prospect of a light stabbing before he pushed Neil towards the ladder of the bunk beds. Once Neil was settled in Andrew’s bunk to one side, Andrew climbed up and took his spot against the wall. Neil looked over at him and gave Andrew that stupid, dopey smile, and Andrew, disgusted, was forced to kiss it off his face.

 

\---

 

Neil must have fallen asleep while kissing Andrew because when he woke up, they were practically nose to nose. He pulled back a bit and tried to blink the sleep from his eyes. Andrew was already awake. 

 

“Staring,” Neil grinned. Andrew, for once, made no defense for himself, but changed the subject, instead. “You kiss significantly less well when you are sleep deprived, Junkie.”

 

“But you still kissed me, didn’t you?” Neil raised an eyebrow, looking smug.

 

“You are insufferable. One day I will end your life. Maybe that day will be today. I could so easily slip poison into your coffee, take a kitchen knife and gut you, throw you off this bunk and break your neck…” Andrew trailed off, running his fingers along the underside of his arms where his knives were securely tucked away.

 

“Throw me off. I’d pull you off with me,” Neil smirked, searching Andrew’s face for an okay before giving him a good morning kiss. This was his life, now. He might be indebted to the Moriyamas forever, much to Andrew’s disapproval, but at least he was alive and playing Exy and kissing Andrew good morning. He’d like to hear Andrew try and complain about those things. 

 

(Andrew would often complain about those things. Whether those complaints were sincere or not is neither here nor there.) 

 

Andrew put a hand on Neil’s chest after a moment and pushed him away. “Go shower. You are disgusting. Breakfast will be ready when you are out,” Andrew said with an air of indifference, sliding off the end of the bed and walking out of the room. Kevin grumbled something angry at them from the couch for locking him out the night before. Andrew casually flipped him off and pushed himself up onto the counter in order to reach the cabinet that housed the pancake mix. Neil slid out of bed after a good stretch and went to take a shower, the Foxes’ rendition of “Happy Birthday” playing in his head over and over again.

 

\---

 

Neil skipped his Spanish course in favor of staying in with Andrew and daydreamed through most of Multivariable Calculus before he was released for practice. He couldn’t think of a better birthday gift than time on the court with his friends, and that alone made this the best birthday he’d ever had. All his other birthdays had been ridiculously shitty or just treated as normal days before this year. Still. He was allowed to want things now. He could have friends and a boyfriend and a fucking birthday if he wanted to. He slipped out the classroom door and was met by Andrew. Andrew, not missing a beat, quickly started complaining about one classmate in his Ethical Hacking course while they made their way to the parking garage by the science and technology building. 

 

“He is so fucking infuriating. He changes the window background to black and only types in lime green text. He keeps fucking talking about how Linux operating systems are better than any others, like anyone actually fucking uses Linux. It is complete bullshit…” 

 

Neil wasn’t really listening anymore, just watching Andrew get riled up. Knowing that Andrew was comfortable enough with him to vent like this made him more than happy, even if Andrew was just pissed about an asshole in the Criminal Justice program. Neil stuck out his hand and looped his pinky finger around Andrew’s, gently swinging their arms back and forth as they walked. That immediately shut Andrew up. He looked down at their hands and then up at Neil, who just raised an eyebrow at him. 

 

“Is that a yes?” Neil asked, cocking his head to one side. Andrew glared at him for a little longer before turning to look straight ahead, acting as though nothing had ever happened, but kept his pinky finger wrapped around Neil’s. “New percentage,” Andrew mumbled.

 

“Care to enlighten me on what that might be?”

 

“No,” Andrew hummed. “I will tell you later if you can score on me five times today.” 

 

Neil grinned like an idiot. “Bet. If I score on you five times today, you have to tell me that percentage, and you have to let me smear cake icing on your face tonight.”

 

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Mature, aren’t you, Josten?” He tried to hide a smirk and failed. Neil was such a dumbass, but Neil was his dumbass. “If you do not get five in today, I get to shove your entire face in the cake tonight.”

 

“Deal, Minyard.” Neil climbed into the Maserati with Andrew and leaned over the console. “Seal it with a kiss?”

 

“You wish.”

 

“I do, actually. It’s my birthday. This is my birthday wish.”

 

“You have not blown out your candles. I know that your childhood is worth repressing, but you cannot blatantly disregard birthday traditions based on your unfathomable ignorance.” Andrew looked bored, but Neil knew better. Neil blew onto a little curl of Andrew’s hair. 

“There. Blew out my candle.”

 

“I am not a candle. Did you fall and hit your head while you were in the shower this morning?”

 

“No, that was my shampoo bottle slipping out of my hands. And you aren’t a candle, you’re right. But you’re hot.”

 

Andrew blinked at Neil before turning his key in the ignition. “That was bad, even for you.”

 

“You like it.”

 

Andrew hooked a hand around the back of Neil’s neck and yanked him forward into a kiss before peeling out of the deck in the direction of the stadium.

 

“I hate you,” Andrew sighed, sounding exhausted.

 

“Every time you say that you hate me, I believe it a little less.” Neil and Andrew had a habit of regurgitating things at one another, and this was one of Neil’s favorite retorts. 

 

Andrew just started blasting “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” and rolled down the windows of his car in favor of giving Neil the satisfaction of a response.

 

\---

 

At practice, Neil was more than dynamic on the court. Andrew relentlessly fought for control of the goal and was blocking the ball with whatever could reach it fastest before he slammed it back down the court at Neil’s feet every single time. Neil couldn’t stop laughing. He was hopping over rogue balls and snapping shot after shot back at Andrew. It was like ping-pong with extra steps. Kevin’s jaw was on the ground by the middle of practice. 

 

Nicky fell backward to lie prone on the court when a water break came. “Okay, yeah, I’m reminding everyone that we still have a ‘no fucking in the locker room’ policy, because we all know nothing gets Neil hotter than--”

 

“Than me,” Andrew deadpanned, throwing his helmet on top of Nicky before walking out the court door to get his water bottle off the bench.

 

“No, Andrew, that’s when you say ‘than Exy’ all snippily. Now I’m just scarred for life,” Nicky whimpered and slung his arm over his eyes. “I know I always reference your sex life, but when you reference it, it upsets me greatly.”

 

“That makes all of us,” Aaron said as he walked by.

 

“Aaron, it’s different because you’re homophobic and trying to oppress us,” Nicky sat up and spun to face the straight Minyard.

 

“I’m not gay,” Neil said, sitting down next to Andrew on the bench. 

 

“I’m not gay,” Andrew smirked, handing his water bottle off to Neil, who finished it off. The two of them would take any chance they could to fuck with Nicky.

 

Nicky stared at them and crossed his legs. “You...You two are literally dating. You just shared a water bottle, and that’s basically kissing. Just a second ago, you, Andrew Minyard, proclaimed that you turn him, Neil Josten, on.”

 

“You could look at it that way,” Andrew shrugged.

 

“So you’re gay,” Nicky said, crossing his arms and leaning over onto his knees.

 

“No,” Neil shook his head. “I don’t swing.”

 

“You--”

 

“Shut the fuck up and get back on the court,” Kevin rolled his eyes, picking up his racquet and throwing it over his shoulders. “Neil, I suggest you start making some of the fucking shots you’re attempting. That’s only three out of how many? Eleven shots you’ve made on Andrew today? Court doesn’t care what fucking day it is--”

 

“Kevin, are you really going to complain about Neil when Andrew is playing like this?” Dan asked under her breath, walking up behind him to gently tap his ass with the head of her racquet as she took her position down-court. 

 

Kevin shut up after that and tried not to look embarrassed.

 

“Hey Kevin,” Neil called out as he took his position.

 

“What, Josten?”

 

“You’re a bitch.”

 

“Facts,” everyone echoed. 

 

Wymack blew his whistle before Kevin could argue. 

 

\---

 

Neil only managed one more shot on Andrew in the second half of practice. He didn’t even care that he had lost the bet, because seeing Andrew play like that made him feel like every nerve in his body was on end and sending the same message to his brain:  _ Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. _

 

After their scrimmage was called and the final whistle blew, the team gathered around to make birthday dinner plans so that Alison could make reservations. They tried to get Neil to pick something, but he just kept saying that he didn’t care. It wasn’t like they didn’t already know his favorite places anyway. Everyone except Andrew and Neil filtered off to go get cleaned up and ready for the party. Wymack gave Neil a nod and a gruff “Happy Birthday, Kid,” before heading out, himself. Andrew shifted his weight to one side and glanced up at Neil once Wymack was gone. “How does it feel to be so fucking bad at Exy?” he asked. The grin he got from Neil in return was unexpected, and to the untrained eye, Andrew wasn’t phased. Neil, however, saw right through him.

 

“You were amazing,” Neil breathed, looking at Andrew like he hung the fucking moon.

 

“Shut the fuck up,” Andrew growled. His mouth was already on Neil’s. 

 

\---   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!! this is my first Not Short fic. please please please leave me comments to let me know what you think!  
> i hope i'm doing neil and andrew's banter justice.  
> (also andrew does smile and guess what he also loves neil so you can fight me if you think otherwise thanks for coming to my ted talk)


	2. Party.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New clothes, a birthday dinner, a ruined cake, and a drunk bunch of Foxes.

Neil was hopeless.

 

He stood in front of his wardrobe just staring at all of the things that hung on the rack and lay folded at the bottom. It was his birthday, so he should wear something nice, right? 

Neil basically owned three types of clothing: the all-black and too-tight things Andrew got for him for trips to Columbia, athletic wear with PALMETTO STATE emblazoning every inch of fabric, or jeans and tee shirts that were rather ill-fitting, simply because he normally couldn’t bring himself to give a shit about much of anything. He ran his hands over the armbands Andrew had given him with a huff and folded his arms. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

 

Andrew looked up from his desk and closed his laptop. “You sound like Nicky,” he noted. Neil frowned at that. He turned around to say something crass but stopped when he saw Andrew pulling a bag from the cousins’  favorite clothing store out of the bottom drawer of his desk. Andrew held it out to him, not bothering to stand. “You will like it, don’t turn your nose up yet.”

 

Neil relented and took the bag from Andrew, not bothering to look inside until he made it into their bathroom to change. What he was greeted with was...Surprisingly nice. If Neil were to care about what he wore, which he didn’t, he would want to wear something like this. Andrew had gotten him a pair of black high-top Vans, a pair of dark blue jeans with holes in the knees (a trend he would never understand) that actually fit him, and a bright yellow sweatshirt that read “thanks, i hate it” in tiny black, block lettering. He looked at himself in the mirror when he was done dressing and was surprised by how much he didn’t hate how the clothes fit him. The jeans were slim-fit and were, therefore, tighter than he normally liked, but they weren’t skinny-fit like the ones Nicky always wore. They were a little tighter on Neil’s ass than they were anywhere else, and he had a strong suspicion that Andrew thought of that when he bought them. Neil tried to make his hair lie flat, somehow made it worse, and gave up to go and get Andrew’s opinion on the outfit before he took the tags off everything. Not that he needed Andrew’s opinion. He just...liked for Andrew to like how he looked because, you know. 

 

Andrew had changed as well, and Neil thought this might be the first time outside of Exy that he hadn’t seen Andrew in black or gray. He was wearing a lavender hoodie with black jeans, and new shoes to match Neil’s. Neil felt his heart do something weird that he couldn’t explain even if he wanted to when he realized Andrew had picked out new things for both of them. It was a change of pace and a clear indicator that things were progressing between them and for them in life. “You look nice,” Neil mumbled. The threat of blushing turned into a full-on assault, and Andrew rolled his eyes when he saw Neil go bright red.

 

“And you look like less than a mustard bottle than I thought you might,” Andrew said, walking up to Neil to adjust how far Neil had pulled down his sweatshirt. “It will stretch out if you try to cover up your ass like that, idiot.”

 

“I think you just want to stare at my ass.”

 

“Is the sky black, Neil?”

 

“No, you fucking--. Wait. Yes. Sometimes. At night.”

 

“You are so dense. Natural selection should have done away with you by now.”

 

“And where would you be, then?” Neil asked, wrapping his arms around Andrew’s waist. 

 

“Bored,” Andrew said, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

 

\---

 

The upperclassmen took one car and the monsters took another, as usual. The team went to an almost upscale hibachi and sushi restaurant since Allison was the one making reservations. Neil thought that they were going to a Chinese buffet when they decided on Asian food, but he didn’t argue about the cost or how unnecessary it was. It would be nice to get real sushi, and the Foxes would shut him down as soon as he started to complain. They were escorted back to one of the hibachi grills and gathered around it, everyone falling into their normal seating arrangement. Those that were old enough ordered sake, and Neil ordered some hand rolls to share with Andrew. Neil had never been to a hibachi grill before, so when the chef started in with his show, Neil was almost appalled. Matt and Nicky found all of this to be absolutely mind-blowing and cheered on every movement the chef made, which only seemed to fuel how intense the chef would dare to let the fires become. Neil was concerned for his eyebrows, and for a moment, the heat that hit his face from the flattop reminded him of his burns. Andrew saw Neil begin to zone out and slowly took Neil’s hand in his own under the edge of the table. Neil blinked and saw that the chef was already sliding his dinner onto his plate, then squeezed Andrew’s hand in thanks. 

 

Nicky’s voice fully brought him back to the present. “Does anyone want my mushrooms? They taste like ass, and not in a good way.”

 

\---

 

Matt stole Neil’s check presenter from him and placed Neil’s receipt in his own along with his card. Neil opened his mouth to argue and swatted at Matt’s arm, but Matt put him into a weak hold and gave him a noogie. “I didn’t get you a birthday present, Buddy, so I’m getting your dinner. Don’t fucking argue.”

 

“I didn’t want birthday presents, Motherfucker,” Neil grumbled, wriggling free from Matt’s grip. Andrew had a hand on Neil’s knee because he didn’t trust anyone with touching Neil like that, not even Matt, but Neil slid his hand over Andrew’s to signal that he was okay.

“You’re welcome, Neil,” Matt grinned, clapping him on the back. Kevin was already buzzed from the sake and Nicky was slumped over on the table. 

 

“So... Full… Won’t be able to… Get drunk fast enough,” Nicky agonized. The girls and Matt laughed, and everyone else rolled their eyes. 

 

\---

 

When they all got back to Fox Tower, it was around 9:00. That meant they could drink well into the night, so Aaron, Kevin, and Nicky immediately went in search of the alcohol. Matt, Dan, Renee, and Alison made Neil promise to wait outside until they were done setting up the study room for the party. Neil nodded and turned his phone on so that they could text him when they were ready, and sat down on the concrete steps up to the dormitory entrance. Andrew sat down beside him, two cigarettes already lit. Their breath was fog in the cold January air, noses and cheeks pink with the sting it left. Andrew took a drag and Neil thought for a moment before he spoke. “A professional Exy player can’t play and still smoke like you do, Andrew.”

 

Andrew scoffed and tapped the ash off the end of his cigarette. “That’s your dream, Junkie, not mine,” he shook his head. Neil thought it almost looked half-hearted.

 

Neil turned away to look down at his feet before staring out at the parking lot. He stubbed out his own cigarette on the concrete. “Name your price.”

 

Andrew raised an eyebrow, then. He knew what he wanted from Neil, but now wasn’t the right time to ask for it. “I’ll let you know.”

 

Neil seemed okay with that. Andrew proceeded to take every pull he could off this cigarette because this one might be his last if he decided to follow through with Neil’s request. It was strange how quickly things could change. Neither one of them spoke of it again that night, but the air between them was different. Andrew was sure that he didn’t fully understand Neil’s motives behind trying to get him to stop smoking. Neil was a junkie, but not everything was Exy anymore. Neil had started a program of study that he actually enjoyed. He was vice-captain of the Foxes now and would be captain in the fall. Neil had joined the fucking foreign language club in order to practice the languages he knew through conversing with other people. Neil was letting people in, and Andrew felt something that might have been pride for him. Most importantly, there was this, whatever it was, and Andrew was finally admitting it to himself. The way Neil looked at him, touched him and didn’t touch him, and the easy near-domesticity they had fallen into was no longer dismissable. It was there for Andrew at all times, and the bad days, while they still existed and always would, were balanced out by days on which he might not be happy, but he would be content. Andrew dropped the butt of his cigarette and leaned over to balance his head on Neil’s shoulder. Neil turned to kiss the top of Andrew’s head. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and the two of them went inside to join the others.

 

\---

 

“Not surprise!” Dan called out from the end of the hallway, opening up the last study room door for Andrew and Neil. Inside, the team had shoved tables and chairs up against the walls of the room and dragged down bean bag chairs from their rooms for a little more comfort. Orange and white balloons littered the floor and a little banner that read “You’re Old” was taped to one wall. The TV that was mounted on the wall was playing through Neil’s first Spotify playlist he had made with help from Dan and Matt. It was all so thoughtful that the entire situation honestly overwhelmed Neil. Even Aaron had contributed with his mini-fridge, and the Foxes had filled it up with ice cream, mixers, and beer. Nicky came barreling into the room with a cake that was very, very poorly frosted. It was bright orange, and in a barely legible script, Nicky had iced ‘JOST10/10’ across the top. Nicky set it down on one table and looked ridiculously pleased with himself. Matt hit the lights, then, so that the room was only lit by the screen of the TV, various lamps, and a few of those as-seen-on-TV laser lights. First on the agenda was a round of birthday shots. Allison poured generous shots of Fireball into plastic cups and passed them out. Even Renee took one. Everyone raised their cups, tapped them on whatever flat surface was closest and threw the shots back. Drinks were made and beer can tabs were popped. Neil was forced into a bean bag at the head of the room, and Andrew sat down at his feet. The rest of the Foxes gathered around while Dan pulled brightly-wrapped presents out from under a chair in the corner of the room. Neil tried to speak out in protest, but Andrew reached behind himself to put a hand over Neil’s mouth. “Let them be nice to you. You know they would do this whether you wanted it or not,” Andrew said, dropping his hand and turning back around to finish off his beer. Neil couldn’t argue with that. 

 

Dan let all of the packages tumble out of her arms next to Neil and pointed to a card. “That’s from me. Open it first,” she winked. Neil gave her a wary look before picking it up and unsealing it. Inside was a card that was meant for a two-year-old’s birthday. She had added a ‘0’ next to every 2 on it in black marker. He was not impressed, but she couldn’t stop laughing at his expression. Inside was a gift card to Exites, which he immediately slipped into his wallet so that he wouldn’t lose it. “Fuck, thanks, fam,” he said. Dan laughed harder at that, and it sounded like she said ‘you’re welcome,’ but it was hard to tell between snorts. “Did I say that right, Allison?” Neil asked. There was a lot of lingo that he was apparently supposed to know, according to her. Allison laughed, too, and nodded, because Neil was right in his usage, but hearing the word come out of his mouth was something else entirely. Nicky made Neil open his present next, which turned out to be new underwear and socks. Neil said thank you like it was a question, and Nicky explained his motives, even though he wasn’t prompted. 

 

“I accidentally opened your drawer in the dresser when I was drunk, and all your shit as holes in it,” Nicky said. “Or it’s threadbare. So you’re welcome. Now you can look hot for Andrew.”

Andrew and Neil both ignored that comment. Neil set the box aside while the Foxes catcalled and whistled. Aaron, Katelyn, and Kevin had gone in together to buy Neil a new watch that was significantly nicer than his digital one from Walmart. The last bag was very heavy, and Neil frowned at its weight. He reached inside and pulled out two boxes. They were smartphones. Allison spoke before he could. 

 

“Those are for you and Andrew. Before you lose your shit, I did not go out of my way to get them for you. Apple sent me the wrong color twice, so I had two leftovers. The silver one is for you, the black one is for Andrew. Renee and I already downloaded the applications you should learn to start using. You can take them to the service provider tomorrow to get your numbers programmed into them,” She finished, shifting in Renee’s lap to wrap her arms around her girlfriend’s waist. 

 

Neil at least waited for her spiel to end before arguing. “Our phones aren’t broken, we don’t need new ones! Anyone else here could take the upgrade if they wanted--”

 

“Thank you, Allison,” Andrew said, cutting Neil off. Everyone in the room went silent.

“I want cake,” he continued, getting up and yanking Nicky over by the hair so that they could light the candles. 

 

Everyone save Andrew sang “Happy Birthday” (Kevin and Aaron sort of mumbled it, but it counted), and Renee prompted Neil to make a wish before he blew out all 20 candles that were currently pooling wax onto the cake. Neil didn’t even have to think about what he wanted it to be. He wished that this--the Foxes’ friendship, Exy, normalcy, Andrew--would never end. He took one deep breath and blew out every candle in one go. Matt, Dan, and Nicky whooped and shotgunned beers in response. Neil looked at Andrew, who might have been smiling at him in the dark. “Fulfill the bet,” he sighed, preparing himself to be smashed head first into sickly-sweet hell. 

 

Andrew pulled out all of the candles, threaded his fingers through Neil’s hair, and pushed him forward into the cake. Even Kevin gasped.

 

“MY CAKE!” Nicky wailed, sinking to the ground and pouring the rest of a mixed drink into his mouth. “I worked for like, two hours on that!”

 

Neil heard crocodile tears from Nicky next and resurfaced from the spongy mess to laugh. It was bright and more than happy, and Andrew looked very pleased with himself--Not just from his handiwork, but from getting Neil to laugh like that. Andrew turned Neil’s face and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips to simply  _ taste the frosting,  _ then grabbed another beer and a pint of ice cream before heading back to his seat. Everyone lost their shit except for Nicky, who didn’t see the kiss in the first place. Nicky promptly started crying more obnoxiously when he realized he missed it. Neil had never blushed like that in his life. Cake frosting was, thankfully, pretty good at hiding emotions.

 

“Now w-we don’t have a c-cake! What kind of b-birthday is it if the guests don’t get to eat cake?” Nicky whimpered.

 

“I’m not above face cake,” Matt shrugged, going over and getting some himself. He handed Neil some paper towels in the process. Everyone else shrugged and got cake anyway, too. It probably helped that most of them were already wasted. 

 

An hour later, Kevin and Nicky were lying prone, arguing about who the hottest person on USC’s Exy team was. Aaron had left the party to see Katelyn. Dan and Matt were making out in the corner, and Renee and Allison were playing “Never Have I Ever” with Andrew and Neil. 

Andrew and Neil were both teetering on the edge of being drunk after a few rounds, so they downed a final round of shots and decided to call it a night with the alcohol. Andrew got up and Neil continued to chat with Renee. 

 

After a few minutes, Neil looked around to see what Andrew was doing, but Andrew was nowhere to be found. Neil, immediately concerned, packed up his presents and said his goodbyes before going to look for Andrew. He walked up to the lobby to look out the glass doors at the parking lot. The Maserati was still there. He walked up to their room and knocked before entering, thinking Andrew was just tired. He looked around and spotted a yellow sticky note on his desk. 

 

Roof. -A

 

Neil shrugged his coat back on and went for the stairs.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ties into my other andrew/neil fic ;) give it a read if you feel like it. let me know what you think!


	3. Roof.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew has feelings and a present for Neil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brief and non-detailed mentions of abuse and non-detailed, very fluffy sexual content.

Andrew Minyard found it easier to allow himself to feel over the past year. It had been a year since he had left rehabilitation, a year since he had started kissing Neil, and a year since he had started falling. He thought he might hit the ground, soon, and knew that Neil would be there to catch him. 

 

It was strange to associate vulnerability with something good. That was a new feeling.

 

He had spent most of his teenage and adult life taking care of other people, but now the son of a serial killer with a ridiculous grin and an Exy obsession was there to make sure he didn’t close himself off again. On the days he couldn’t bring himself to get out of bed, Neil did not ask if he could do anything to help. He did things to help without being prompted to. He would bring Andrew coffee, ask Andrew’s classmates for notes, and make sure Andrew had eaten something, even if it was just half a pint of double fudge brownie ice cream. He would sit at the foot of Andrew’s bed and let Andrew look at him. Andrew would trace over every scar again and again, allowing each one to ground him a little more. Neil couldn’t remember where he had gotten some of the scars because of the amount of them he possessed, so he would make up new and increasingly outrageous stories about them every time Andrew needed him to. 

 

_ This one was from the first time I rode a bike. I was actually riding a bike in the mountains, you know, as a young boy might, and I ran into a mother bear and her cubs. The cubs were taken with me, and the mother, jealous, decided to gently bite me on the fucking hip to tell me to back off. I know it doesn’t look like a bite, but the bear was snaggletoothed and also had a broken jaw. _

 

That story in particular made Andrew roll his eyes in a way that meant _ I can’t fucking stand you _ while simultaneously meaning  _ never leave me _ . 

 

The first bad day that Andrew had let Neil hold him was a massive step. 

The waking thoughts were relentless. The nightmares were worse. Faceless men did all too familiar things to Neil. Nathan got away with slicing the tendons at Neil’s ankles. Neil went into the witness protection program because Andrew hadn’t spoken up, because Andrew had let his anger get the best of him, because Andrew wouldn’t let himself  _ feel. _ But Neil was real, and Neil was here, and he was safe and alive and everyone else was dead. Andrew had climbed into Neil’s bunk that morning and pressed his back against Neil’s front. It was like Neil knew exactly what Andrew needed and wrapped his arms around Andrew with a soft  _ tell me no _ . Andrew always had a choice with Neil. So he chose to take off Neil’s armbands and then his own, letting the skin of their forearms touch, scars brushing against scars. They were together. They weren’t good, but they were okay.

 

Andrew was thinking of that now, as he sat on the edge of the roof, letting his legs dangle off and swing. He was picking up all the old cigarette butts and tossing them over onto the ground, imagining that each one was a tiny version of himself, falling and falling and falling. Neil was next to him, then, like he always would be. Always. What a strange concept.

 

“I know it hasn’t snowed yet this year, but that might not be a welcome substitute for some people,” Neil said, bumping Andrew’s knee with his own. Andrew ignored him and threw off the last few. The butts hit the ground soundlessly from where the two of them sat, and Andrew wondered what it would be like to fall without fear.

 

Andrew reached into his coat to pull out a box. It wasn’t wrapped, but it had another sticky note on the top. He sort of shoved it into Neil’s hands before digging his hands back into his pockets. Neil looked at the note first, and felt everything inside him flip when he managed to comprehend the words after reading over it four times.

 

_ Pictures are permanent. Take some of me. _

 

Andrew was permanent. This was permanent. Neil opened the cardboard box to find a polaroid camera. These pictures were literally permanent. They couldn’t be erased, only thrown away. “There’s already film inside it,” Andrew said, answering Neil’s unspoken question. Neil pulled the camera out of the box and powered it up. The tall street lights around Fox Tower gave him enough light, along with the flash, he was sure. 

 

“Andrew,” Neil started. Andrew hummed in response. “Yes or no?”

 

Andrew turned towards Neil and flipped off the camera with a bored look on his face. That  _ I hate you, fuck you _ symbol was Andrew-speak for  _ never leave me _ , and it made a smile crawl across Neil’s face. He held up the camera and looked through the viewfinder, lining up the crosshairs in a way that he hoped would make a good picture. 

 

“I hate you, too,” Neil said, and Andrew smiled.  _ Smiled. _

 

Neil snapped the picture and the camera printed it out. Andrew realized the mistake he had made and almost snatched the photo out of Neil’s hands, but Neil was laughing this wonderful, heart-melting laugh that made Andrew want to punch him in the mouth with his mouth. Neil was holding the picture like it was sacred, like it was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and didn’t take his eyes off it as it developed. It was all Andrew--All curly, messy blonde hair, all broad shoulders and an angular jaw. That was what the world saw. The smile on his face and in his hazel eyes was only for Neil. That was Andrew, too. 

 

“If you show that to anyone I will burn it in front of you and make you eat the ashes.”

 

Neil snorted. “If you think I would let anyone see this, you’re stupider than I gave you credit for,” he said, unable to hide his smirk. Andrew rolled his eyes. He reached for the camera and held it up, then. Neil smiled for him without being asked, and that made Andrew’s heart do something ridiculous. 

 

“Say, ‘I’m a fucking dumbass,’” Andrew deadpanned.

“I’m a fucking dumbass,” Neil repeated. Andrew loved Neil’s sharp tongue and the ease with which Neil challenged him. Neil was not afraid of Andrew. It was everything Andrew needed. Neil was someone to push him farther and pull him closer, never too harshly and always with a choice for Andrew to make. Andrew thought he might have been shaking. He stopped breathing to take the picture and set the camera and the picture aside too abruptly. This was Neil without a lens between them. This was Neil without anything between them. Andrew stared him down like Neil might disappear if he blinked.

 

_ This _ was  _ something.  _

 

Andrew needed something. “Yes or--”

 

“ _ Yes, _ ” Neil said, and Andrew pushed him down.

 

The concrete was cold, but Neil didn’t mind. Their faces were cold but Andrew’s mouth was warm, and a tap to Neil’s wrist meant that he could touch Andrew anywhere above his shoulders. Neil held Andrew’s face in his hands while they kissed, and Andrew felt _more_. Neil was attaching new memories to ones Andrew wished he could forget. Andrew hated hands before Neil. Any touch at all made him remember too-strong hands with too much force behind them. Neil’s hands were different, not _grossly_ _masculine_ like the others had been. Neil’s fingers were long and slim like the rest of him. His nails never bit into Andrew’s skin. Neil’s hands were on Andrew because Andrew allowed them to be and Neil would take them away as soon as Andrew asked without question or complaint. It put dangerous thoughts in Andrew’s mind, and before he could push them away, Neil’s mouth was on his neck. Andrew gasped in surprise and his brain turned to mush. He couldn’t have that. Yet. “You’ll get sick if we stay out here too much longer,” Andrew said, pulling back and picking up the camera to put it and the pictures back into the box. “We need to go inside where it’s warm. Preferably to bed,” he said. Neil grinned at him. 

 

“You tired, old man?” Neil asked standing up and walking over to the door to open it up for Andrew. 

 

“You wish.”

 

\---

 

Every time they slept together, Andrew would take matters into his own hands, or let Neil touch him but be unable to finish. If Neil did make him finish, one of them would have to leave the room in order to allow Andrew space to breathe and clean himself up. They came undone together that night with Neil’s hand around both of them. After what felt like an eternity that was filled with sweet kisses from Neil passed, Andrew settled on top of him. 

 

“Do you need me to leave?” Neil asked, reaching to wipe his hand on a pair of his boxers that he found under the sheets before tossing them in the direction of his hamper. Andrew was still for a moment, and Neil was afraid that he might be dissociating before Andrew made eye contact with him. 

 

“Stay.”  _ Happy birthday. Thank you for being alive. I love your stupid ass. _

 

So Neil did. 

  
  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and it's DONE. i wanted to wait to write this, but i couldn't get it out of my head. now that it is done, i feel at peace once more. thanks for reading. <3


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